Azmodan
"You thought you were so clever, that you had outwitted us all. One by one, our brethren fell into your trap. But not me...I defy you. I now know the Black Soulstone is the key, and it shall be mine. Soon, my armies shall pour forth from the Shattered Mountain, ravaging this world and all hope of resistance. My minions will find the stone, wherever you choose to hide it. Then, at long last, Azmodan shall reign as the Prime Evil." :: - Azmodan addressing Leah in a dark vision shown in Diablo III Azmodan, the Lord of Sin is a Lesser Evil of the Burning Hells and was the last of the Great Evils to be trapped in the Black Soulstone. Azmodan is regarded as Hell's most intelligent and powerful military strategist, and was the one who intially exiled the Prime Evils to Sanctuary, and who led the Invasion of Sanctuary, along with his brother Belial. History Pre-Dark Exile Though not one of the three dominant heads of Tathamet, the ambitious Azmodan has long sought to claim supreme ruling power in the Burning Hells, and in his first attempt, one that ultimately failed, he used the Fallen Ones in an effort to dethrone the Three, but his machinations failed to suffice, and the Fallen Ones were twisted into small and feeble versions of themselves by Diablo, a condition the enraged Azmodan refused to reverse. Notably, however, the Fallen Ones's failure at least managed to provide Azmodan with the information to mastermind the successful Dark Exile. The Dark Exile As the Prime Evils turned their attention from the High Heavens to the mortal world of Sanctuary, the Lesser Evils grew restless. Eventually, Belial manipulated Azmodan into leading a revolt against the Prime Evils. Azmodan took part in the Dark Exile overthrowing the Prime Evils, wrongfully believing Diablo and his brothers to have hesitated in the Great Conflict. During the Dark Exile, Azmodan ruled half of Hell, opposing Belial. It is not known whether Azmodan joined Andariel and Duriel in supporting the Prime Evils' return. This point is moot, however, as all three Prime Evils were slain before they could formally take power over Hell again. It is likely that Azmodan and Belial returned to their civil war after the Prime Evils were defeated. Shortly after, Azmodan won. Invasion of Sanctuary After Belial's defeat at the hands of the nephalem heroes, Leah had a vision of Azmodan where he revealed that he intended to lead a full invasion of Sanctuary to find and claim the Black Soulstone with which he could become a fusion of all the Great Evils, the Prime Evil. The vision held true and Azmodan's armies poured forth from the portal in Mount Arreat and laid siege to one of the last barbarian strongholds; Bastion's Keep. His lieutenants, the Sin Lords, were introduced, with Ghom, the Lord of Gluttony, storming the depths of Bastion's Keep while the nephalem heroes rallied the stronghold's defenders and raised its catapaults. These same heroes destroyed Ghom and began to push Azmodan's forces back into the Mount Arreat crater and through the portal. Azmodan's consort, Cydaea the Mistress of Lust, tried to slow the nephalem as they fought through the portion of Hell just inside the crater and destroy the Sin Hearts, relics from the depths of Hell that empower the demons. Eventually Cydea was slain as well and the Sin Hearts were destroyed. At last the nephalem confronted Azmodan himself, who reiterated his desire to become the Prime Evil. His plan was ultimately left unfulfilled when Azmodan was defeated and his spirit was sealed within the Black Soulstone, making him the final of the Great Evils to be locked in the stone. Shortly afterwards one of Diablo's secret operatives revealed the Lord of Terror's own plan to become the Prime Evil had reached fruition and the Black Soulstone was bound to Leah Cain's body, through which Diablo manifested himself and proceeded to assault the High Heavens. Physical Appearance Azmodan's appearance is meant to reflect his station as the Lord of Sin. He is extremely corpulent, personifying the sins of Gluttony and Greed. He appears to sit on four insect-like legs which, along with his torso, are opulently decorated with treasures and trophies, mirroring the sins of Pride and Vanity. His face features a large, glowing mouth full of dagger-like teeth. From his back, two large horn-shaped appendages extend. Power and Abilities As the Lord of Sin, Azmodan is one of the most powerful of the remaining Demons, and he seems to command the entire strength of the Burning Hells. He can summon massive fireballs from his hands, and, when they hit, explode in a shower of fire. He can also summon demon portals to assist in the heat of battle, as well as rain dead bodies from the sky. The Lord of Sin can also summon dark portals that damage opponents. Azmodan can listen to his brothers in the Black Soulstone as well. Personality Azmodan is cunning, and attacks when his foes would least expect it. Fittingly for the Lord of Sin he is also extremely proud, seeking sole command of Hell and becoming the Prime Evil. Unlike his fellow Lord of Hell, Belial, Azmodan likes to reveal himself and taunt his foes, playing on their feelings. During Act III in Diablo III, he constantly taunts the player and his allies, always showing his pride off, no matter what they achieve and displaying a high degree of arrogance and overconfidence. While his tactic was intended to strike fear into the hearts of the Nephalem, it in fact led to many of his plans being prematurely revealed, and ultimately, to his downfall. From the Book of Cain- "Azmodan, Lord of Sin, is a clever manipulator who trades in vice and corruption. He is passionate and plotting - both to very dangerous degrees. He is by far the most charismatic and seductive of all the Evils. Azmodan takes pleasure in all things to every possible extreme. He loves vice in all its forms, but the truest gratification he derives is from the failures of others. Azmodan is a master of temptation, of causeing those who hold steadfastly to principals and beliefs to ultimately betray them. Azmodan can see most clearly the heart's desires. He exists only to shred morality, to bring any and all within his sphere to the point of breaking." Background Information Azmodan appears in Diablo III, and was the main demonic speaker in a video released at BlizzCon on October 21, 2011. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlhWqmVeDno) He has two known demonic servants: Cydaea and Ghom. Trivia *Azmodan is named after Asmodai or Asmodeus, a demon found in Hebrew lore. The name also sounds like "Khaz Modan", the home of the dwarves in the Warcraft universe. *Asmodai/Asmodeus is the demon of lust, one of the 7 deadly sins. This explains why the Maiden of Lust, Cydaea, is given a completely different name. *His name is also seven letters long; possibly one letter for each sin. *Azmodan model is similar to a pit lord (World of Warcraft) as well as Mannoroth. There is also a similarity to Mr. Waternoose of Monsters Inc., but this is most probably just a coincidence. *It is said the Treasure Goblins serve a demon lord named 'Greed'. It is possible this is one of the remaining lieutenants of Sin. *His appearance most visibly represents the sins of Lust and Gluttony, possibly explaning why only Cydaea and Ghom (among his lietenants) make an appearance in game *With the deaths of Cydaea and Ghom, this leaves five remaning lieutenants of Sin. *He was manipulated by Belial into ensuring the Dark Exile, indicating that he is not as smart as most people think he is. Gallery 600px-Azmodan-BC2011.jpg|Azmodan concept art azmodan_by_norsechowder-blizzcon2011.jpg|Azmodan invades Sanctuary Diablo-azmodan-480.jpg|Azmodan in The Black Soulstone Trailer Azmodan copy.jpg Video w8_VGJDGu9k nlhWqmVeDno _mlLSk0bYjE Category:Lesser Evils Category:Demons Category:Evils Category:Diablo III